The Coolest New Yoga Trend

For more than 5,000 years, people have been practicing yoga to find sama, the yogi term for balance, both mentally and physically. Most yoga lovers will test their ability to balance on anything—a bench, a ledge, or even another person. So given the recent trend in stand up paddle boarding (SUP), a workout in which balance is key, it's no surprise that someone thought to combine the two disciplines.

Yup, yoga sessions on paddle boards are now a thing. Some classes will tether the boards for added stability, but more often your group will float around on relatively calm water. SUP yoga is geared toward all levels, so you can try it out even if you haven't mastered every single pose on dry land yet. Seriously, I've seen some people practice their headstands and arm balances on a paddle board, while others just see how their body reacts to being on the water.

I’ve personally done yoga on a paddle board about 10 times now and absolutely love it. It does require more core strength than yoga for landlubbers, but even if you don't arrive with rock-hard abs, you'll develop them quickly. The new yoga craze is also a fantastic workout for your obliques and shoulders (which you use a lot while paddling). Once you get more comfortable doing several yoga poses on your board, you'll get a true full-body workout (if you think doing a crow pose on land is hard, try doing it on the water). You can rock a bathing suit or yoga gear for the workout, just as long as you don’t mind getting your clothes wet—and you should obviously know how to swim if you’re going to try a class. Just Google "SUP yoga" and your city to find one near you.

Not exactly a water person? You can reap all the benefits of doing a warrior pose on the water—without ever getting wet. A new land-friendly Ocean Yoga board from FreeMotion Fitness just hit the market, and some studios use it (or a similar product) to offer indoor yoga sessions that take place on a board instead of a mat.

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